Alabama’s Derrick Henry Wins Heisman Trophy Award In New York

Running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks after being named the 81st Heisman Memorial Trophy Award victor Saturday in New York City.

Henry snapped a streak of five-straight years that saw a quarterback take home college football’s most-storied award. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson finished third with 1,165 votes.

Henry’s margin of victory was narrower than recent Heisman winners’, the Associated Press notes, but the contest wasn’t quite a squeaker. Christian McCaffrey Stanford RB SO 290 246 177 1,539 3.

Overall, McCaffrey finished a distant second while Watson checked in at third in the voting.

Navy QB Keenan Reynolds also totaled 180 points and was the highest service-academy finisher in 52 years (Roger Staubach).

Henry broke the Southeastern Conference record with 1,986 yards rushing – previously held by 1982 Heisman victor Herschel Walker – and matched a league mark with 23 touchdowns, leading No. 2 Alabama to the College Football Playoff.

“It made me who I am today”.

Gladys Henry has been hospitalized for weeks in Florida with heart and respiratory problems.

Alabama’s Derrick Henry, left, hugs his mother, Stacy Veal after winning the Heisman Trophy, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, in NY. When I look at it, even objectively, and you can’t really dispute what I’m about to say, you could say he had the best year in the history of college football. (I hate that ESPN has turned the Heisman Trophy Presentation into the Grammys, all that was missing was a Taylor Swift and Desmond Howard duet.) Now however it’s written in stone that Derrick Henry is the 2015 Heisman Trophy victor, or if not stone then some on one of those little brass plaques that they put on trophies. Henry came to Alabama as a five-star recruit. Yet none of them came closer than fourth in Heisman voting, with two receiving no votes at all.

Henry planted a big kiss on the trophy before lifting it above his head for the first time.

I didn’t see him in person – he never played against the University of Alabama, and I grew up in Tuscaloosa – but I saw him on TV.

As a sophomore, he shared carries with T.J. Yeldon and ran for 990 yards and 11 touchdowns. Henry thanked everyone from his family and teammates to Alabama’s administration and the Heisman Trophy trust. He leads the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns and is second in yards per game with 152.8.

Bo Jackson, Auburn, 1985: The senior had 1,859 yards from scrimmage (1,786 rushing) and scored 17 times on the ground for the Tigers, who went 8-4, including a loss to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

The Crimson Tide’s super-sized tailback is just the third running back to take the Heisman in the past 16 years.

This has been such an epic season for the Crimson Tide, it feels special.